How did he calculate / validate 20w/mk?

 

Ask him...

 

Looks like a great alternative for those that just want a simple upgrade option.

 

This is pretty cool. Some of the bigger guys like Thermal Grizzly should provide info for each GPU when they sell their thermal pads.

 

I agree .. it's difficult finding concise and accurate data from GPU to GPU.

The provider of above linked pad sets has been quite good with providing such data; I asked him specifically for the pad heights that he was shipping for my 3080Ti XC3 as I wanted to try other pads in the future (Fujipoly, Thermalright, etc.) and he was quite forthcoming with the information. I'll be posting some before and after between the stock EVGA pads and his custom set to see if and what performance gains I might get out of them.

 

Do ASUS boards benefit from better pads? My memory mining with 3080 Ti TUF does hit 100-104C. Wonder if it's worth opening the card up.

 

I would say that it would be worth a try; for first go, I would use thermal pads that have been properly vetted/reviewed (Geilid, Thermalright Odyssey, Fujipoly, etc.) before experimenting with some of the custom made/sourced options like the Kritical pads linked here. That way you would know your dealing with a tried and true, thoroughly tested thermal pad.

I know from my research prior to buying the EVGA 3080 Ti XC3 that the 3080Ti TUF cards, at least on the GPU core, are some of coolest running 30 series cards out there; I'm not sure how the memory temp performance is, though. I really wanted that card (TUF series) but when dealing with the scalpers, I found the XC3 Ultra about $500 less than the TUF variant so went with that.

There should be plenty of tear down videos on Youtube for your TUF card so search about and familiarize yourself with the process. Not that serious/difficult for anything but the FE cards, which can be a real pia in my experience...

Best of luck,
~s1rrah

 

Just got shipping/tracking information for the XC3 set I bought; I'll post a detailed writeup/comparison versus stock EVGA pads once in hand and installed. Only pads I won't be using are the ones that are to replace the EVGA thermal putty... I have some T-Global TG-PP-10 I'll be using for those areas of the GPU...

I'm not too sure what values to focus on, though. I use HWINFO64 and mostly just pay attention to Tjunction max temps, which for my typical gaming session, generally stays below 80C and maybe ~85C if ambients happen to be particularly high.

Any other tools/readings to pay attention too? Using HWINFO64 or any other tool?

~s1rrah

 

Looking forward to see your results. I would use GPU-Z to monitor temperatures as it shows you GPU core temps, GPU hot spot temps and Memory junction temps. I would also do your comparison at fixed fan speeds before and after so that you can see the direct improvement.

I have a 3080 XC3 Ultra and my case fan airflow makes a big difference to GPU memory temperature, decreasing it from 104 ºC to 96 ºC just by increasing the single intake and exhaust fans from 20% to 80% speed, while locking the 3 GPU fans to about 85%.

 

I ordered a set for my 3080 Ti FTW3 on Friday, received shipping notify Tuesday. The pre-cut exact thicknesses are worth it to me, and I don't have a particular need to buy full sheets elsewhere. Also the seller seems fairly responsive on reddit.

 

20W/mK pads that are soft and cheap?

Happy to be proven wrong though

 

it says hardness score C12. so softer than EC360 bronze that I have, which are shore C20, but only 8 W/mk,
well if that is true it's great new. might order some.

 

Did someone used these so far?
all ratings are nice and I would like to try them

generally, some of pads have silicone oily leaks, and for these users complained to lose of performance over time.
I wonder how these stands about that?

 

generally, some of pads have silicone oily leaks, and for these users complained to lose of performance over time.
I wonder how these stands about that?

I haven't use these pads, but normally to get a softer pad, an amount of silicone oil is used in the formulation to make it softer and pliable. So soft pads at high temperatures could be more likely to result in the oil leaking out.

 

I read all comments but hardly I can find any direct results, let alone comparing / testing to some other pads.

We arranged that I recive some soon (depening on delivery also) so I will perform test when I get them. Based on that I will do my further purchases.

I will pick some of gpus with temperature sensor, most probably same one where I tested Thermal Grizzly Minus 8 vs Gelid Ultimate. And run ETH mining as it is contant and same stress, directly on memory. Btw Gelid Ultimate outperformed Minus 8 from what I tested. But Gelid Ultimate is very hard and one of reasons I don't like them.

I already ordered also new Alphacool 11 w/mk.
So I will test directly Gelid Ultimate, Alphacool, Kritical. One after another, so lets see what temperature sensor will say. Not for sake of any test (I really want to get away from Gelid Ultimate so I will run them only to compare temperature to rest) but simply I don't have final solution for myself so I want to finally know - I need pads which really perform, not leak and degrade quickly, and which are soft - and I get tired from endless searching on internet trying to find single post where someone compared, never found anything useful (except people say "replacement dropped temperatures to stock pads).

Now both Alphacool and Kritical claim same (not values, but to perform amazing and to have low hardness), so lets see. It really really interest me what this test will say.

 

I already ordered also new Alphacool 11 w/mk. So I will test directly Gelid Ultimate, Alphacool, Kritical. One after another, so lets see what temperature sensor will say.

Looking forward to your findings ... very interesting.

I got my kit today from Kritical ... everything was neatly packaged and the size and pad cut outs seem to be the right fit for my XC3 3080Ti. I need to find the best tool to really heat up the VRM's on my card as any game I play, for over two to three hours straight, never get the thermal junct or hotspot temps over 84C ... and even that is very rare. Both temp spots generally average about 76C during extended gameplay (HZD, CP2077, etc).

This is from 2 hours of Horizon Zero Dawn with stock EVGA pads (non overclocked GPU):

Is 84C VRM temp considered high?

I just re pasted my card about a month ago (Noctua NT-H2) and at the same time, replaced EVGA's thermal putty with some T-Global putty that's quite reputable and rated at 10 W/mk ... the T Global putty is kind of expensive and really don't want to waste it so might hold off on the Krystal repad ... but then again, I'll most likely get bored and do it tomorrow LOL ...

Any suggestions for the best way to get maximum heat on the memory other than gaming?

Here's the kit I got today ... one side of the pads has clear peel-away backing and one side has the textured peel-away backing that you see facing upwards in the photo ... not sure which side goes to the VRM and which side goes to the XC3 cooler so will most likely message the owner of the site to find out..

...

~s1rrah

 

I don't think that 84C is high for that memory. People are mining 24/7 on 100C without issue on these cards (but I don't agree with that one moment, but it is my personal opinion and approach to hardware). I always strongly try to lower temperatures. If there is one thing we learned, it is - cooler = better

So your test would be T-Global putty (which had average in gaming about 76C and peaked at 84C) vs Kritical? Let us know results.

I would advise to run Eth mining for that, because in game stress is going to change all time and you will not be able to really get precise result. While in mining it will take moment to get to peak temperature and it is same, constant stress. Don't worry, 15min of mining won't do anything bad (but be sure to lower power limit).
download for example NBMiner (just run "start eth" file).
if you are interested to test in that way, and if you need help with settings, let me know (I don't want you to run too high power limit, while going below certain power limit will limit card mining ability and it won't push memory as it should - lets roughtly say, set -100 core, +1000 or little more on memory, 70% power limit, and fixed fan speed). every card is different so to do fine tuning I would need to access card, but that is not goal here. this settings should push stress on memory just fine while not letting card to run at full power and temperature for no reason.

unless someone else have specific stress test which hits memory with same constant load.

if you decide for this you will for sure know difference, assuming same ambient temperature, same settings and fixed fan speed (all same in both tests).

 

So your test would be T-Global putty (which had average in gaming about 76C and peaked at 84C) vs Kritical? Let us know results.

I would advise to run Eth mining for that, because in game stress is going to change all time and you will not be able to really get precise result. While in mining it will take moment to get to peak temperature and it is same, constant stress. Don't worry, 15min of mining won't do anything bad (but be sure to lower power limit).
download for example NBMiner (just run "start eth" file).

Great. Looking forward to trying your suggestion (NBMiner) ...

And I'll be comparing stock EVGA pads to the Kritical pads. The T-Global putty I am currenty using is only applied to those areas of the GPU where EVGA had put their own putty; I've still got EVGA thermal pads on VRM's and other areas where EVGA installed actual pads. I've also got a brand new set of EVGA pads that they sent me (only $10) for my card that I'm going to use to compare EVGA's sizing with Kriticals (want to measure them with calipers).

And yes ... generally I see a maximum of 84C on Thermal Junct/Hotspot with the average being around 76C when gaming. I generally use Cyberpunk 2077 and Horizon Zero Dawn as benchmark games since they both seem to keep my GPU at 100% utilization most of the time.

I'm going to check out NBMiner today ... that sounds interesting as I know nothing about mining and might learn something in the process.

Best,
~s1rrah

 

yea, has anyone got their pads yet?
20w/mk? real deal or fake?

 

one person in country which borders with mine, are buying them in huge numbers. he is running kind of mining farm, and also changing pads for others who are doing same. from what he claimed, Kritical are best so far.
so we agreed that exactly this person send me one example for testing.

after testing I mentioned, I will decide for ordering of larger amounts.

Alphacool 11 w/mk arrived in my hands yesterday. but I will wait on testing them until Kritical arrives, so we can have fair test between Gelid Ultimate, Alphacool and Kritical.

so we will know if it is real deal or fake. person behind Kritical seems honest to me. I don't think it is going to be fake, but consider it just as my opinion. test and sensor will tell for final

it is already send, but crap thing is, local post services between this countries is pretty slow, and as they predict, it can take 2-3 weeks until it arrives to me (we should had figured out some other way for transport, but now it is too late).

 

As mentioned earlier, I too have the Kritical pads in hand. Won't be able to swap them for the stock EVGA pads until next weekend as I'm out of town till then. My temps are already okay I think but I'll take any improvement I can get.

Also, as per Adversary's recommendation above, I downloaded and ran the NBminer mining tool with the "ETH" test option and saw my 3080 Ti XC3 VRAM temps hit 87C in a matter of minutes (23C ambient/85% fan speed). I ran the test for a solid hour and temps stayed pegged at 87C max with almost zero fluctuation throughout the test. This is about 3 degrees higher VRAM max temps than I've ever seen a game or any other real world application hit. That said, I would def recommend running Nbminer for absolute max VRAM temperature when testing; the fact that it maintains such a steady and constant temperature makes it a remarkable testing tool. Here's the link for the mining app: NBMiner 40.1

Another bit of trivia ... I just yesterday received a thermal pad replacement kit for the 3080 Ti XC3 direct from EVGA ($10.00) and the pad dimensions look about the same as the Kritical pads but the cut quality of the EVGA sourced pads is horrific ... totally uneven all over the place like a kid cut them out with scissors. LOL ... I mainly got them simply to do measurements for future reference ...

More later...

~s1rrah

 

when you replace thermal pads with Kritical, take care to run exact same test conditions, ambient temperature, fan speed, settings used (you limited power to 70% ? ), and exact same miner, in your case v40.1
40.1 should by default use LHR mode 1, with 74% partial unlock. every 3080 TI is LHR
it is not only about percentage miner can partially unlock LHR card, there exist also differences between versions, where miner put slightly different load. for that reason remember to use same miner you downloaded (in case newer version get relased), to get fully precise comparison.

also, in miner directory you will find folder where logs are stored, so you can always also check log.

not even hour is needed, just as you said, it will bring temperatures at full in matter of minutes, after that it is going to be mostly same.

from my expirience with LHR Nvidia GDDR6X cards, there is always some fluctuation, but it is going to hover about same temperature spot (so hitting 2C more in brief moments is fully normal). I speak only from my expirience, never owned 3080 TI, but I have 3070 TI and 3080 (all Asus cards), and they always show memory temperature in steps of 2 (so it is never odd number). I have no idea does 3080 TI have different sensor or it is EVGA thing. or I'm missing some basic things.

AMD 5700 (and XT) show memory temperature in steps of 2 too, but will not have that little fluctuation like Nvidia LHR with GDDR6X. 6800, 6800 XT, 6900 XT (not sure for lower models as I never had them) show memory temperature more precise, in 0.1C steps.

most likely I will choose 5700 XT to test as I described how I plan it. it is true that GDDR6X heat more, but it is not true that "GDDR6 you don't have to care about memory temperature as it not runs that hot". it runs very hot on 5700 cards. and that is what I need to get test in best way.

AMD 6XXX have (at least models I tested or own) so low memory temperatures, that you would need to have really hot room and very low fan speed in order to let memory toward temperature where we all start to worry. testing at cards which have low memory temperatures anyway may not be best idea and precise for test.
could it be fact really huge coolers are used on these cards, or cards I worked with already had solid themal pads, or if it is something with newer 2GB Samsung GDDR6 memory modules, I don't know.

as Nvidia non-GDDR6X cards don't have memory temperature sensor, I belive 5700 XT would be best choice to test, with miner. same one which I used to test stock vs Minus 8 vs Gelid Ultimate.

 

well, Kritical pads example arrived to me today, way sooner than expected

most likely I would do testing this weekend

Nice...

 

well, Kritical pads example arrived to me today, way sooner than expected

most likely I would do testing this weekend

 

Nice keep us posted. I ordered some for S&G for my 3090FE with the EK block.

 

ok, I tested all three thermal pads, which are :
Kritical 20 w/mk
Alphacool 11 w/mk (new serie, "soft")
Gelid Ultimate 15 w/mk

test was done on 5700 XT, air cooled Gigabyte Aorus, modified bios and memory timings for Eth mining, Micron memory (in case of these cards, Micron memory produces higher hashrate, but consume more power and heat more), 1850 memory clock speed.
I did not push memory further, to avoid possibility of crashing, as I improvised to get higher ambient temperatures, and used lower fan speed to get higher temperatures (if we would consider sub or 90C as high).
test would for sure be better on card with heats up more, and use more fan speed, so we would have better overall flow of temperature.

I was not able to maintain exact same ambient temperature, so every next test had slightly higher ambient temperature.

when I sum up all, I would say :
Kritical > Alphacool > Gelid Ultimate
differences was not big however


more about Alphacool 11 w/mk - as with Gelid Ultimate, temperatures stayed same at 88C, but ambient was slighty higher, which goes in favour of Alphacool. they perform almost same, but take into account Alphacool was tested on 2-3C higher ambient.
also take into account that I already before tested Gelid Ultimate vs TG Minus 8, on same card, and Gelid Ultimate clearly outperformed Minus 8.
they both reacted same when fan speed is increased, it took same time to reach 72C where it stabilise.
both did, for brief moment, touch peak 90C.
so I would say Alphacool perform slightly better. another thing to take into account is Alphacool is indeed pretty soft (that is definitly not case with Gelid Ultimate). Alphacool is however very expensive, and new series don't have all thickness available at all. for example, for 11 w/mk, there is 1mm 100mmx100mm, but for 0.5mm there is only 2X 120mmx20mm. there is no other thickness at moment, so you would have to stack for example 1mm and 0.5mm if you need 1.5mm. I guess they will add it to offer.


now more about Kritical 20 w/mk - compared to test with Alphacool ambient temperatures, now ambient was again slighty higher. Kritical was around 86-88C, never touched 90C. clearly, Kritical have best thermal conductivity. and Kritical is also soft. nothing else I have to add about them.


Alphacool and Kritical are both soft, and different to Gelid Ultimate. you can cut piece of thermal pad, and make them like "bubble gum" (which is case with some stock thermal pads also). Gelid would however crack.


I did not rush, and all of them had proper and enough pressure applied.


as I did not have different thickness, I could not do test on other card anyway. guess for example 3080 non-LHR card would be better for test, I belive differences would be more visible.

except slight increase in ambient temperatures, test was done on 100% same conditions, so at least this can show come indications of performance. hope it helps everyone

 

I installed the Kritical pads today and the results are just about as I was expecting. My particular card already had fairly good memory temps with the stock EVGA thermal pads and compared to others I've seen posting online, I couldn't see how they could or would get dramatically better. Long story short? The Kritical pads performed noticeably better (4C drop) during the Nbminer test and almost identical to the EVGA stock pads during the TimeSpy Extreme stress test.

I had replaced the EVGA thermal putty that covers the VRM areas with T-Global TG-PP-10 putty a couple months ago when I first got the card so that may or may not have some influence on temps when using the stock EVGA thermal pads. I re applied the T-Global today when installing the Kritical pads and did not use the pads that Kritical supplies for the putty areas.

Here's a few notes:

• All tests conducted at a constant ambient temperature of 22 Celcius.
• NBMiner EHT for 15 minutes was used as a pure VRAM max/avg temperature test.
• 20 loops of Timespy Extreme stress test was used a general gaming max/avg temp test.
• The NBMiner test used a static fan speed (details below)
• The Timespy Extreme stress test used a fan curve (details below)
• T-Global TP-PP-10 putty was used on VRM's in place of EVGA putty for all tests

NBMiner EHT - 15 minutes
------------------------------------------------------------
Static Fan Speed: 80% / 2,615 RPM
Power Limit: 85%
Mem OC (After burner): +500
Room Ambient: 22C


EVGA Stock Pads
--
Max VRAM temp: 84C
Avg VRAM temp: 73C


KRITICAL Pads
--
Max VRAM temp: 80C
Avg VRAM temp: 66C



Timespy Extreme Stress Test - 20 loops
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fan Curve Max: 72% / 2,376 RPM
Power Limit: 100%
Core OC (Afterburner): +150
Mem OC (Afterburner): +500
Room Ambient: 22C


EVGA Stock Pads
--
Max VRAM temp: 78C
Avg VRAM temp: 74C


KRITICAL Pads
--
Max VRAM temp: 78C
Avg VRAM temp: 72C

...

So definitely some worthwhile gains in the mining scenario and pretty much identical temps with the Timespy Extreme tests. Real world gaming thermals differ dramatically from game to game, however and perhaps similar gains as seen with the mining test will be more apparent in different games.

Was fun to test, though and hope the new pads/putty last a good while. I honestly didn't want to install the Kritical pads cause things were already working very well with the card and thought I might jinx it. LOL ... I'm very much of the opinion that if it works, then don't try and fix it but my curiosity generally wins out.

Otherwise, it's safe to say the Kritical pads are a sure bet and well worth the money ($29.95 for a complete 3080ti set). They come very well packaged and the cut quality is precise and consistent. The owner has built a very clean and functional ordering system (quite quickly at that) and the entire process was snag free. The pads themselves are also very easy to work with and do not deform too easily but also are highly compressible. And Kritical pads come in the precise EVGA spec'd heights that are nearly impossible to find short of custom sourcing (ie: 2.25mm pads over VRAM / 2.27mm pads over other areas, etc.). So again, absolutely no reason to buy whole sheets and cut your own pads (PIA!) when you can simply order demonstrably high quality pre cut kits from Kritical (and EVGA too if you request them and as the above tests have shown, the EVGA pads are really not that bad).

Oh yeah, repasted the GPU core today (Noctua NH-1 same as before) and max core temps went from 70C to 68C in the Timespy Extreme test so I'll take that too, thank you.

~s1rrah

 

Now we just need someone to do a back-to-back comparison between TG-PP-10 and Kritical on the VRAM

 

You won't believe it but I almost did that exact thing today. I've heard very good things about using T-Global putty in place of pads over the main VRAMS but I'm done for now LOL ... Card is doing great and not touching it again. I was going to get a hybrid kit but have been talking to some hybrid card owners and they aren't happy with VRAM temps at all, some even trying to find XC3 coolers to replace their hybrid coolers with simply because VRAM temps are getting up to 100C when gaming (not to mention mining).

 

I have a 3090 Hybrid with stock pads and a 120mm fan blowing on the backplate. The highest I see my vram during gaming is in the 60C range. My hotspot delta is increasing though..

 

I ran dual hybrid 980's and also a 1080ti hybrid for years and absolutely loved them. Nothing like sitting in the low 50's on GPU core. Think I will be sticking with the stock config on this 3080ti, however ... it's completely fine across the board. It just took some getting used to with GPU core load temps averaging about 67C instead of the low to mid 50's I saw for so many years with the hybrids. LOL ..

 

I have no clue what I did during the core repaste today ... used the same Noctua compound as a couple months ago when I repasted the core but instead of my typical +/- 45C idle temps, I'm now seeing 32C idle temps. It's mind boggling. Just did a couple hours of HZDawn and max load temp was 68C which is much better than the 75C I was seeing before. Might have just been bad contact with the previous re paste ... but that idle temp used to drive me nuts, even though I know 45C is fine for these cards ...

 

Possible that there's just more pressure on the die with the new pads?

I'd make a note of idle, load and ambient temp to see if it changes over the next few months.

I always kinda wiggle the cooler while applying some pressure when reinstalling, just to squeeze out as much excess paste as possible.

 

Just did a repaste with Thermalright TFX and repad with Kritical pads on my 3090 Hybrid. My hotspot delta went down almost 6 degrees but my vram max temp went up 2 degrees on a time spy simple run. My gpu clock/effective clock/score went up though..